


A Christmas Miracle

by The_Risen_Phoenix



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Christmas, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, Sad Nero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28287276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Risen_Phoenix/pseuds/The_Risen_Phoenix
Summary: It had been six months since Nero had lost everything, but now he is hoping for a Christmas miracle tonight.
Relationships: Nero/V (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	A Christmas Miracle

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to all of you that celebrate, Happy Holidays to those of you who don't :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Snow fluttered down softly from the sky, coating the streets in a blanket of white; children laughing in glee as they raced from their homes, bundled up in their scarves, mittens and hats. Their enjoyment was in infectious, the adults around them wearing smiles as they watched. A few adults were walking together, gloved hands entwined, fingers laced tightly as they browsed shops or simply took in the festive atmosphere.

Amongst all of these happy revellers, a lone man traversed the streets, bags of brightly covered gifts hanging from his hands. He tried to immerse himself in the holiday season, tried to put on a happy and excited face for the kids and the girls, but they could see right through him.

It had been six months since the incident with the Qliphoth had occurred. Six months since he had finally found out who his father was; and to say that he had been disappointed would be a huge understatement. Ok he hadn't thought the man would be father of the year after having abandoned both himself and his mother even before he'd been born, but neither had he expected the man to tear his arm off and proceed to try taking over the world. Then when things had finally been resolved....sort of, his father _and_ his uncle had left him here alone to deal with the huge mess while they both headed to cut off the Qliphoth roots at it's source.

And if that wasn't bad enough, it was also six months since the most unexpected man had crash landed in his life. Someone who he had met amongst the flames and destruction of an all out war between humanity and demon-kind; who he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of. Initially Nero had been more than a little wary and sceptical regarding the other's motives, even more so after he had seen the control he had over those demonic familiars of his.

It hadn't taken him long though to begin trusting his companion, the extreme circumstances that they found themselves in leading to their emotions running close to the surface. Not being able to trust his partner was going to be the quickest way to get them both killed, and so Nero put his life in V's hands; even as he too held the other's life within his own hands.

What had started out as a tentative trust, had turned quickly into each seeking the other out for companionship and a slice of normality. That soon had tuned into more, their need for the closeness of another human being – that all consuming need to seek out another's warmth, to hear the pounding of a heartbeat as frantic as their own beneath their ear – pushing them together. Nero could still remember the first time they had kissed, could remember the blood that had coated their bodies and their gasping breaths as they stumbled into a safe house.

V had been trembling badly, his strength all but spent and his familiars nowhere to be seen. Nero had barely the strength left to carry his sword, his arms shaking with the effort not to drop the blade as they finished off the last of the horde that had ambushed them. They had collapsed upon the dirt floor of the hut, before breaking down into helpless laughter; adrenaline the only thing keeping them from falling on their faces. Nero had looked up then and seen the smile of pure and utter relief painted across V's face, and realised just how beautiful the other male was when he smiled.

He hadn't even been thinking when he had leant forwards to capture those curved, parted lips with his own; the taste of blood filling his mouth as he lapped gently at the pink flesh. V had gasped in surprise at Nero's bold move, and Nero had waited nervously to be pushed away. Instead of pushing him away though, V had tugged him closer, hands resting lightly upon Nero's grimy face. It hadn't been the most romantic first kiss they could have had, but in that moment, it had been perfect.

From there they had quickly fallen into a whirlwind relationship, each seeking the warmth of another body beside them; something to remind them that they were alive, that they were still here – still human. Nothing had soothed Nero's frayed nerves more than the feel of V's body clenching tightly around him as he slid inside of the other man; felt those warm, gasping breaths upon his skin as V had lay beneath him; proof that they shared a connection. V had very quickly become the reason that Nero fought, his need to protect his companion fuelling his desire to see the end to this mess.

Little had he known that to end the calamity, he would have to lose the one man he couldn't bear to live without. That all along V had known that he would not survive to see the future that Nero had eagerly spoken to him of. And now Nero knew the reason for the heartbroken look in V's eyes whenever he had made plans for them; knew why V had always merely hummed softly saying that they would see.

Part of Nero wanted to be angry at V for lying to him, for keeping him in the dark like that. But another part knew that it had been the right thing to do. Nero knew that if he had known what V would have to do, and known that V would sacrifice himself to end everything, he wouldn't have let the other man go. It was selfish of him, but Nero knew himself well enough to realise that he would not have been able to do what he needed if he had known.

The devastation he had felt at V's loss had been compounded by the loss of an Uncle he barely had had the chance to get to know, along with the second meeting with his father (the man who had taken his heart from him, had broken him again – stolen yet another vital part of him). He had barely had time to absorb the information that had been thrown at him, before he was tossed back into the fray; dealing with the demons that had been trapped when the portal to the Underworld had been sealed.

Nico had tried her best to comfort Nero, had given him space when he needed it and offered comfort when she thought he wanted it; but nothing had felt even close to the warmth that he had found with V.

Kyrie had been amazing though; her heart had been battered and bruised when Nero had confessed to her that he had fallen in love with another man in his time away, but she had stood strong and she too had offered the comfort that Nero so desperately needed as he as murmured broken apologies. As she had folded him within her soft embrace, Nero felt the tears he hadn't been able to shed, finally break free. Kyrie had stood with Nero in the front hall of their shared house for hours, just holding him as he wept out his heartbreak upon her shoulder.

Life had fallen into a pretty regular pattern after that, Nero dragging himself out of bed each morning with the thought that V would not wish for him to waste away in grief. So he would rise with the sun and help Kyrie make breakfast for the kids, doing his best to joke with Nico in as normal a manner as he was able, before he would head out to patrol for stray demons. It took him less than a month before he had managed to clear the remaining demons from their town, reports coming in from Trish and Lady letting him know that they had dealt with the demons further out. Kyrie would expect him back for dinner, so Nero would make sure to head back home in time for that, then helping to ready the kids for bed each night.

After that rebuilding had begun, and Nero that thrown himself into that with scarcely a thought to his health. The girls could see how Nero was losing weight, could see the dark circles that grew beneath his eyes, letting them know that sleep was seemingly beyond his reach. They didn't know that whenever Nero closed his eyes, all he could see was V's smiling face and it haunted him. It was better not to dream at all, if he was only going to be tortured with images of the one he had lost.

Nero finally made it home again, arms aching from the parcels he carried, knocking his feet upon the mat at the door to dislodge the snow from his shoes. Kyrie opened the door for him with a sweet smile, taking a few of the packages and hurrying off to place them beneath the brightly coloured christmas tree. Nero followed at a slower pace, stopping to remove his coat along the way. The sound of pounding feet soon filled the air, the children racing down the stairs to welcome Nero home. They burst into excited chattering as they saw the new presents laid out beneath the tree.

“Hey Nero!” They cried out, running forwards to hug him tightly around his waist. They were worried about their big brother too – though they may have been young, they could see the sadness that had seemed to linger in his blue eyes since the Qliphoth incident. They wondered just what had happened to make him look so sad – not even the smiles he pasted on his face could hide the truth from them.

“Hey guys, I hope you've been good for Kyrie.” A tired smile stretched across Nero's face as he gazed down into the bright eyes of the orphans they had taken in.

“Of course we have!” They exclaimed in unison, bright, innocent smiles beaming up at him.

Nero merely raised a brow in response, chuckling lightly at their antics. “Ok then, go get washed up for dinner. I'm sure Kyrie has something amazing ready for you guys to eat.”

A clamour of agreement from them all filled the air, before their footsteps once more pounded upon the floorboards as they raced to the bathroom. A gentle hand rested upon Nero's arm then, Kyrie's concerned face staring up at him.

“Are you alright Nero? You don't have to join us if you don't want to, I can bring you up a plate if you'd rather.” She offered hesitantly. The kids would be disappointed if Nero wasn't present, but she was sure they would understand. They saw a lot more than they gave them credit for sometimes.

“No....I, no. It's fine Kyrie. I don't want to disappoint the kids, they've had a tough time this last year.”

“So have you,” Kyrie murmured softly, reaching out to hold Nero's hand in her own. “Please don't push yourself too hard ok?”

“If I don't push, I'll find myself unable to move forwards at all.” Nero admitted softly, eyes closing to hide his pain. “I need to move on, I know I do. But it's, it's just so hard.....”

Nero pulled away from her hold when he heard the children coming back, scrubbing a hand over his face to wipe the expression from his face. Kyrie watched sadly as Nero pasted a look of happiness upon his face, feigning excitement for the holidays to try to keep the children from worrying.

Dinner was a loud and boisterous meal, the children hyped up for Christmas the next day. They had long since discovered that Santa was not real, but that didn't mean that Kyrie, Nico and Nero didn't always do their best to provide plentiful presents for them all to open come morning. Nero was exhausted by the time they had managed to get all of them settled and into bed, bidding the girls a good night and retreating into his own room.

Outside a fresh fall of snow fell, Nero managing a tiny smile at the sight. It would be a white Christmas this year then. Opening the window slightly, Nero shivered as the chill wind blew soft white flakes into his room. Ignoring the cold, Nero stared up at the night sky, eyes straining to catch sight of the stars.

“If there are any shooting stars out there, please hear my wish. Return V to me, please. I'm begging you, please return my heart to me. I don't want to live with out it, without _him_ any longer.”

Closing his eyes against the tears that streamed from his eyes, Nero withdrew from the window and closed it gently. He stripped himself tiredly and curled up beneath his sheets, wishing for the day to end – for yet another day without V to be over. Because maybe, maybe if he waited long enough, he'd meet V in the afterlife.

“ _Hey Nero.”_

_Nero's head jerked up, his eyes widening at the sight of the man before him. V stood before him, looking as he had before he had sacrificed himself; jet black hair, swirling array of tattoos covering his milk white skin, his green eyes bright and full of all of the love they had never hid._

“ _V....” Nero's voice was barely a whisper, his breath trapped in his chest and making it feel tight with emotion, his hands itching to reach forwards to touch, but terrified that V would disappear if he so much as moved._

_No matter how softly Nero had spoken,V seemed to have heard him, a tender look breaking out across his face. A knowing smile tugged at the corners of V's lips as he seemed to know what Nero was thinking; moving forwards himself to lay his warm hands upon Nero's face and draw him down for a chaste kiss._

“ _I've missed you so much V.” Nero sobbed, all but collapsing into V's warm embrace, clutching the dearly missed man tightly to himself._

“ _I'm sorry that I didn't tell you Nero. I hadn't planned to meet you and fall in love....and in the end I was selfish and I didn't want to let you go. Didn't want you to leave, if you knew the truth about me.”_

“ _I wouldn't have, I swear I wouldn't.” Mumbled Nero into V's neck, hands tightening their grip upon the other man._

“ _You don't know that.” V sighed, hands running softly through Nero's shaggy hair. It had grown out quite a bit since the last time he'd seen the other man, and V enjoyed the feel of the silky stands on his fingers._

“ _It doesn't matter anymore. It doesn't!” Nero interjected before V could object. “Just, please...please don't leave me alone again. I can't lose you again V. Stay with me. Forever this time.”_

_Nero's tears flowed faster as the body within his arms started dissolving even as he begged for him to stay, the sound of V's quiet voice drowned out by his pleas, his words lost. His arms empty again, Nero crashed to his knees upon the ground, screams of pain and heartbreak filling the space._

Nero woke with a start, tears clinging to his eyes and the phantom warmth of V still lingering in his arms. He rolled onto his side, arms circling his waist and holding himself tightly, burying his face into his pillow in misery. Gentle fingers carded themselves through his hair, a soothing murmur reaching Nero's ears and helping to calm him slightly, even as he turned into the touches, burying himself deeper and taking in that dearly beloved scent.

A soft press of lips upon his head had Nero's eyes flying open in shock, the touches and scent he thought he had imagined becoming more real as reality slammed into him with all of the subtlety of a ten tonne truck, and he tumbled off the bed clumsily. Hope blooming within his chest, Nero scrambled up onto his knees, head peering up over the edge of the bed to take in the wondrous sight before him.

Long, wavy black locks of hair, loosely braided in a way that Nero had loved to see. Clear green eyes filled with so much love that his heart throbbed with longing and returned affection. Petal pink lips – those lips! – were parted slightly, the corners tilting up in a slightly bemused smile, aimed right at him. Tattooed, milk pale flesh, free from the grime and blood that had coated it the last time he had seen the other, none of the cuts or bruises marring his perfect skin.

It was V. V was lying on Nero's bed before him, arms opened wide in welcome.

Tentatively, Nero climbed back onto the bed, creeping closer to the vision before him, unsure if he could trust his eyes. He reached out a trembling hand to brush a few stray hairs away from V's eyes, hesitating before he could make contact. What if V disappeared if he touched him? What if that was what it took to end this dream and leave Nero aching and broken beyond repair?

V's eyes softened in understanding, his smile growing just a little bit sadder. “It's ok Nero, I'm here. I'm really here and I'm not going anywhere again; not without you.”

V's hand touched Nero's face, the warmth seeping into his damp flesh and that was all it took to break Nero from his frozen state. With a broken sob, Nero all but threw himself into V's arms, knocking him flat onto his back upon the bed, Nero clutching him tightly to his chest. Yet more tears escaped from his eyes, an unconscious babble of words falling from his mouth.

“Gods V, you're here. You're my Christmas miracle. I can't believe you've come back to me. Never leave me again, I can't live without you. I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Nero covered V's face in frantic kisses, lips growing wet as V began to cry also even as he tried his best to return all of Nero's kisses. Eventually all of the noise that they were making drew the attention of Nico, and with the confidence of a childhood friend, she burst into the room without knocking. She quickly covered her eyes as she caught sight of the two men upon the bed, one clearly atop the other.

“Whoa, whoa Nero! I thought we talked about this! Hang a sock on your door if you're busy with V, jeez.” She turned to exit the room before she jerked to a halt in stupefaction. “Wait....V? V!!!”

Nico screamed in joy as she realised that the man lying beneath Nero was V; V who they had lost six months ago, V who Nero had been wasting away mourning. V who had come back to them. She launched herself onto the bed, nearly knocking Nero off in the process and gathering the dark haired male up into her arms. She blinked her eyes rapidly to keep her tears at bay, shaking V in mock anger as she berated him for disappearing like that.

“And if you do something stupid like that again, I'll....I'll....I'll pull you apart and turn you into materials for my tinkering! Don't think that I won't! Because I will, just you see.”

“I'm sorry Nico, I promise I'm here to stay. I don't want to be turned into materials.”

“Good, glad we understand each other then.” Nico sniffed, pulling V into a hug and Nero too since he was all but attached to the other man at this point.

Nico rose from the bed after a long moment, wiping her eyes and nose surreptitiously, heading for the door. She let them know that she would tell Kyrie and the kids that Nero would be down in a little while, and that he would have a surprise for them all when he came down. With one more grin over her shoulder, Nico left the two alone once more, closing the door softly behind her.

V turned back to Nero as the door closed, hands cupping his dearly beloved face gently; thumbs brushing away the few stray tears that continued to fall. He pulled Nero closer, tilting his own head slightly so that their lips brushed together softly.

“How are you here; how have you returned to me?” Nero whispered.

“I don't know,” V replied, seemingly just as confused as Nero. “I...I was dead, at least I think I was? And then there was a voice telling me that I had taken with me something that was not mine, and so I needed to return. Next thing I knew, I woke up here beside you, but I don't know what I took.”

“My heart, you took my heart with you when you left.” Nero confessed, finally gathering the courage to voice what they never had before. “Don't you know that it has always been yours? I love you V. For all of time.”

“My heart is yours also Nero, I gave it to you willingly, knowing you would keep it safe. I love you too Nero. I always have and always will.”

Their lips met in another, deeper kiss; the raw emotions filling them finding an outlet as their mouths parted and their hands began to roam. Nero wasted no time in stripping V of his clothing, tossing aside his own sweat pants; fingers fumbling like it was their first time together as he worked to loosen V, before he slid himself slowly into that warm embrace. Once they were fully connected, Nero paused, looking down at his lover in wondrous rapture.

“Merry Christmas V.” He murmured against his lips.

“Merry Christmas Nero.” V mumbled, pulling Nero back towards him for another kiss.

Outside, the snow continued to fall softly; carollers bundled up and spreading their song to those who wished to listen. Children filled the streets already, their laughter and squeals of joy rang out in the crisp air, the toll of the church bells ringing merrily. Above the grey clouds blocking the sky from view, a lone star twinkled brightly above the reunited pair.


End file.
